Winning hunch The winner of the RNLI's 44th national lottery has the Hunchback of Notre Dame to thank for drawing her ticket! Micky O'Donoughue was playing the role in the New Vic Company's comedy version of 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' at Poole Arts Centre, and he and other members of the cast were delighted to help draw the lucky tickets on 31 January 1989.

The draw, which raised a record £74,000, was supervised by Mrs Richard Saunders, a member of the Institution's Committee of Management and deputy chairman of the Fund Raising Committee, and Mr Anthony Oliver, the RNLI's head of fund raising.

Since their launch in July 1987 the quarterly lotteries have raised more than £1.5m.

The prize winners were: £2,000 - Mrs D.M. Godman, Penrith, Cumbria.

£1,000 - M. Williams, Dyfed.

£500 - C. Davies, Polperro, Cornwall.

£250 - H. Campbell, Leeds, West Yorkshire.

£100 - L.J. Scott, London W6; Mrs R.A..

Harvey, Luton, Bedfordshire; J. Collier, Cramlington, Newcastle; Mr and Mrs J.Craig, Walmer, Kent; D. Butler, St Albans, Robinson, Coulsdon, Surrey; Mrs R.

Herts; P. Marciniak, Bognor Regis, Sussex; Mrs M.A. King, Tring, Herts; A. Rimmer, Crosby, Liverpool.

£50 - P. Bell, Pudsey, Leeds; D. Charlton, Washington, Tyne & Wear; Mrs D.J.

O'Neil, Patna, Ayrshire; D. Phillips, Raynes Park, London SW20; R. Stilt, Larne, Co. Antrim; R.T. Stokes, Droitwich Spa, Worcs; Mr and Mrs L.F. Orman, Ringwood, Hants.New Year Honours for retired lifeboat coxswainsTwo of the RNLI's lifeboat coxswains were awarded the British Empire Medal in the New Year Honours list for their services to the Institution.

George Jeffs, BEM, was Coxswain/Assistant Mechanic of Barmouth lifeboat from 1979 until his retirement at the end of December 1988. He joined the crew in 1960, and was Assistant Mechanic from 1968 to 1970. In 1970 he became Second Coxswain/Assistant mechanic until his appointment as Coxswain/Assistant mechanic in 1979. Coxswain Jeffs received a long service badge in 1982.Victor Marsh, BEM, was Coxswain/ Mechanic of Swanage lifeboat from 1978 until his retirement in January 1989. He joined the crew in 1962, was bowman from 1966 to 1970, Mechanic from 1970 to 1974, and became Second Coxswain/ Mechanic in 1974 until his appointment as Coxswain/Mechanic in 1978.

Coxswain Marsh was awarded a bronze medal in 1976. He also received the Chairman's letter in 1978, a long service badge in 1983 and the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum in 1988.

Oilier awards for individual achievements not connected with the Institution's work have i one to: CBE John Gau. OBI;, Independent Television producer for the series 'Humber Lifeboat'.

MBE Doctor George Middleton. MBI . tor services to the community. Dr Middleton is a member of the RNLI's Medical and Survival Committee.

BEM Thomas Mailman, m;vi. harbour master at Eyemouth and deputy launching authority at Eyemouth lifeboat station.

Captain Aubrey Burton-Durham. BI;M, harbour pilot at Newhaven and deputy launching authority at Newhaven lifeboat station.On the cards Many readers of THE LIFEBOAT will have received at least one of the RNLI's 1988 Christmas cards which graphically depicts the launch of the Aberystwyth pulling and sailing lifeboat John and Naomi Beatlie.

Turning inside the card they would have found the simple acknowledgement "Painted by Coxswain Lionel Derek Scott BEM' - a succinct acknowledgement which conceals a major success for this retired Mumbles lifeboatman.

Derek Scott was with the Mumbles lifeboat for 40 years - first joining the crew in 1947, after the previous boat had been lost with all her crew when going to the rescue of the Liberty ship Samtampa.

A crew was needed in a hurry, and Derek volunteered to join the new boat.

He went on to become the RNLFs youngest serving coxswain in 1955, when he was just 26, and remained as coxswain for some 22 years until his retirement in May 1987.

The images of the many services duringthat time stayed in his imagination, and when he 'came ashore' recreating them on canvas became a major interest.

Derek had spent four years at art schoolin his youth, and after his time with the lifeboat his oil paintings capture the feel of the seas and weather in a way which only comes to those who have experienced them.

The painting which became the Christmas card started when Aberystwyth honorary secretary David Jenkins commissioned Derek to paint the station's old pulling and sailing boat, which is now in Swansea awaiting restoration.

The resulting painting so caught his imagination that he sent it to the RNLI at Poole, where it also met with such acclaim that it was chosen to illustrate one of the Institution's Christmas cards and also as a postcard.

Derek had hoped that retirement would enable him to pick up his brushes again and get an exhibition together, but now that commissions are now coming in from as far afield as America he says: 'my paintings have gone so quickly I just haven't been able to!" On Station The following lifeboats have taken up station and relief fleet duties: OVER 10 METRES Douglas - Tyne 47-032 (ON 1147) Sir William Hillary on 25 November 1988.

Lytham St. Annes - Tyne 47-031 (ON 1146) Voluntary Worker on 1 December 1988.

Whitby - Tyne 47-023 (ON 1131) City of Sheffield on 12 December 1988.

Bridlington - Mersey 12-001 (ON 1124) Peggy and Alex Caird oa 15 December 1988".

UNDER 10 METRES Tramore- D375 on 16 November 1988 Horton & Port Eynon - D380 on 29 November 1988 Aldeburgh - D376 on 6 December 1988 Relief-D378 on 15 December 1988 Howth-D379on 12 January 1989 Peel - B575 on 14 February 1989 Moelfre-D381 on 16 February 1989 (Station D class lifeboats delivered during the winter period will commence service at the start of the 1989 Summer season.)Model occasion Skegness lifeboat station was presented with a model of one of the town's early lifeboats when Lt Col Pease, chairman of the Pangbourne branch visited the station on 26 October 1988.

The model of Herbert Ingram II, which had been stationed at Skegness from 1874 to 1888, had been in Devon, in the possession of Mrs Mollie Somerset, a cousin of the Pangbourne chairman's wife Mrs Pansy Pease.

Little is known about the model, or who built it, but it is now a valuable addition to the memorabilia at the station.Closer ties! Communications between the station honorary secretary and the Ladies' Guild at the Penlee and Penzance branch should be even better now - as ladies' guild secretary Rosalie Wallen and honorary secretary 'Del' Johnson were married on 5 November 1988! The highlight of the branch social calendar took place at St Paul's church with a guard of honour supplied by the crew of the station's Arun Mabel Alice supplying a guard of honour in brilliant sunshine.

Rosalie became the youngest ever guild secretary when she took over the post in 1971 at the age of 19, and was awarded the Institution's silver badge in 1987.

Secretary Del Johnson's 23 years as honorary secretary were rewarded in 1987 when he received a gold badge.Lifeboatmen first at scene of air disaster The station honorary secretary at Withernsea (Humberside), Barrie Brigham, and eight of the crew members from the station's D class inflatable were among the first on the scene of the air crash on the Ml during January. Their efforts in rescuing people in difficult and dangerous conditions have earned them thanks from many who were present, and from the director of the RNLI.

The lifeboatmen were on their way home by minibus from the London boat show when they were confronted by the crash scene.

They climbed on to the wing and pulled survivors, some badly injured, from the centre section of the plane. 'Fuel was spewing from the wings' said Barrie Brigham, but the crew formed a human chain on the steep and slippery motorway embankment which was 'ankle deep in mud from fuel and foam' and handed survivors down to the road.

It was not until some four hours after the crash, with the emergency services at the scene in force, that the lifeboatmen felt their services were no longer required and resumed their journey to Withernsea.

Barrie Brigham said: 'the crew are used to emergencies and are trained to expect the worse. They just got on with it. It didn't really hit us until we got home'.Oakley stirs memories at Cromer Cromer's busy lifeboat museum now has a full-size centrepiece - the 37ft Oakley Valentine Wyndham-Quin, which is similar to the town's own Oakley, William Henry and Marv King, which was stationed there until 1967.

Valentine Wyndham-Quin was delivered to the museum soon after being retired from Clogher Head in Ireland, where she had been stationed since 1984 following some 15 years at Clacton.

It took two hours to unload the Oakley and move her up a steep slope into the museum, where the race to get her ready for public viewing began.

The local press gave the museum valuable publicity when the boat arrived, and in an interview the present Cromer Coxswain Richard Davies recalled his time as a crew member on the Oakley.

'Seeing this boat today has brought back a lot of memories,' he said.Having a Ball at the HiltonThe annual Lifeboat and Mermaid Ball in aid of the RNLI took place at the Hilton Hotel in Park Lane last December.

Its Chairman this year was Lady Beaverbrook (pictured with her husband), whose late father-in-law, Sir Max Aitken, was an enthusiastic and expert sailor and whose Beaverbrook Foundation has donated three lifeboats.

The ball was the biggest and most spectacular to date, raising approximately £64,000 for lifeboat funds. The 770 guests, who included the director of the RNLI and many yachting and sailing enthusiasts, were entertained by the National Westminster Jazz Band, who only play for charity, and Lord Colwyn and his B band, who were sponsored for the night by Volvo..